Football | CHAN 2018

Wounded Mauritania eye Sudan scalp

Mauritania will be desperate to get their campaign up and running when they lock horns with Sudan in a 2018 African Nations Championship (Chan), Group A showdown at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca on Wednesday.

Kick-off is at 9:30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)

Having stood firm for most of their clash against hosts Morocco in the opening game of this year's tournament, the West African nation would ultimately suffer a disappointing 4-0 defeat at the very same venue this past weekend.

Ayoub El Kaabi (brace), Ismail El Haddad and Achraf Bencharki found the back of the net for the Atlas Lions in the second half as they got their campaign up and running with an emphatic victory.

In contrast, the Falcons of Jediane will be eyeing successive wins when they take to the field in midweek.

Omer Koko and Saifeldin Bakhit fired home for Sudan as they edged Guinea 2-1 in their tournament opener. Bakhit's winner came in the 75th minute of the encounter, this after Syli Nationale had levelled matters.

Mauritania head coach Corentin Martins was honest in his assessment following his side's heavy defeat to Morocco as they now aim to bounce back against the 2011 Chan host nation.

“The first half was a miracle, we were able to abort many attempts, but the Moroccans managed to dominate the game in the second half,” explained Martins in the aftermath.

“It is normal. They [Morocco] work on themselves intensively, some of the players won the Champions League. There are too many differences between our players and theirs.”

Morocco will meet Guinea in Casablanca on the same day, with the hosts setting their sights on a place in the knockout stages.